


sunday morning, rain is falling

by calthighway



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Don’t look at me, Happy Ending, I don’t know what this is, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Light Angst, M/M, Rebuilding Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22131163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calthighway/pseuds/calthighway
Summary: “Can we go get our favourite cakes like we used to?” She asks hopeful, her small hand held tight by Callum’s.The small fairy cakes that they’d try and sneak just before Sunday dinner, causing Ian to complain when neither of them could finish their plates because they were full on icing sugar.
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Comments: 10
Kudos: 135





	sunday morning, rain is falling

“Callum!” Ben’s thoughts are anywhere that aren’t here. That don’t fixate on the past few weeks. Then they all come crashing down around his feet at the sound of his name.

Lexi’s running up to him, arms wide for Callum to pick her up and give her a hug. It’s hard for Ben to watch, so he doesn’t. He keeps his eyes on the market, Callum’s footsteps coming closer and they feel like pounding thuds in his head.

“Missed you,” Lexi tells him, bottom lip sulking out and Ben closes his eyes against the pain behind her words. Because she has missed him, she’s missed him to the point she hasn’t stopped talking about him, or stopped asking Ben where he is and why he’s never around anymore.

“I missed ya, too,” Callum says, running a hand through her hair before putting her back down.

“Can we go get our favourite cakes like we used to?” She asks hopeful, her small hand held tight by Callum’s.

The small fairy cakes that they’d try and sneak just before Sunday dinner, causing Ian to complain when neither of them could finish their plates because they were full on icing sugar.

“Callum’s busy, princess.” Ben’s getting to his feet, offering out his arm for his daughter to take his hand. “Maybe another time.”

“I’m not b-“

“I _said_ maybe another time,” Ben finally looks up. Their eyes meeting for a second, and Ben realises Callum looks just as he feels. A shell of his former self. All sunshine taken away from him, eyes dark.

Ben’s jaw clenches against the sight, because _he_ did that.

Lexi lets go of Callum’s hand reluctantly and looks up at her father like she hates him, and yeah, he hates himself too.

*

Weeks pass and Ben’s finding his feet again, or at least trying. He puts on a brave face, mostly hides it behind a shot of whiskey or bottle of beer, and Lola questions him on it constantly but it’s his way of coping. That’s his way of thinking _things are getting better_.

Then it’s his laugh he hears first. His laugh in his brothers living room. He thinks he must be hearing things, until no, he’s not.

He’s talking, and Ben daren’t open the door properly to see for his own eyes. Then Lola’s barging in and almost knocking him to the floor.

“What ya doing?” She huffs.

Ben closes the door, “what’s _he_ doing here?”

Lola just looks up at him, her arms folded. “I invited him. He’s still my friend Ben, and I ain’t having Lexi missing out on seeing him anymore, alright? If you’ve got a problem with it then-“

“Alright?” Callum’s there then and there’s nowhere for Ben to hide now. He looks between them, he looks apologetic. “Lola invited me,” he wets his lips. “I can go if-“

“You ain’t going anywhere,” Lola shakes her head, before pointing for him to get back into the living room. When it’s just her and Ben again, she sighs, her expression softer and Ben can hardly look at her, but it doesn’t stop her from saying, “open your eyes will ya, Ben?”

*

It becomes a thing. Callum just being their every Sunday for dinner, being a part of the family.

It’s all smiles, especially for Lexi who hangs on Callum’s every word and sometimes falls asleep next to him on the sofa after dinner. It’s like before, before living life got hard to do.

It’s Sunday morning and Ben comes down in his dressing gown and the sound of giggling in the kitchen all but wakes him up quickly.

Lexi’s sat on the kitchen counter, her legs swinging happily whilst her and Callum stand eating fairy cakes. They stop mid mouthful, like two naughty school children being caught doing something they shouldn’t, and Ben’s mouth falls open.

Lexi’s giggling again because it is _funny_. Callum clears his throat, licking the icing off his lips and wiping his hands on his trousers. “Sorry. It’s just I promised her and-“

“And ya didn’t think to bother asking me if I wanted one?” Ben suddenly feels the lightest he has in months, his eyes teasing. “Ain’t me ya got to say sorry to anyway. My brother won’t be happy when his lamb chops go to waste.”

A laugh surrounds them, all of them filling the small space with a sound of happiness. Callum picks a bun out, hands it over for Ben to have and it’s only a split second glance, but Ben’s heart races when Callum looks softly at him, his lips pressed in a small smile.

Fingers brush together when Ben takes the cake, it’s accidental and Callum looks as though he should apologise for it, but Ben’s feeling the most alive since him and Callum were actually together, so he just smiles up at him likes it’s alright. It’s _more_ than alright, before sticking a finger in his bun and flicking the icing onto Callum’s nose.

Lexi inhales a big laugh, mostly at the shock on Callum’s face before he declares war and him and Lexi are chasing Ben around the house to get payback.

*

Sunday morning and rain is falling, heavy taps on the window wake Ben from his reckless sleep.

He’d slept with a guy that smelt of Callum, a nameless face that left Ben feeling cold.

They were friends. It was more than Ben deserved. He just wasn’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse.

*

Sunday comes again, it’s always so far yet close. It comes and then it goes.

Callum’s took the duty of washing up afterwards, says it’s the least he can do and the look on Ian’s face says he isn’t wrong.

Ben helps him dry, it’s a routine they have going for weeks. They sometimes do it in silence and that’s ok, it’s comfortable and it doesn’t matter.

Ben stands close as he dries a pan, their arms often brushing together and it becomes _something_. Again, neither say a word but it fills Ben’s belly with warmth and he laps it up.

Ben doesn’t miss the cheeky glint in Callum’s eyes, his hands in the soapy water; cupping the soap buds in his hands before blowing it into Ben’s face. “That’s payback,” Callum laughs, his ears growing pink and Ben wipes his face with his hand.

“Seriously? That was weeks ago!” Ben laughs back, his body leaning into Callum’s side instinctively.

“I never forget,” Callum points out, raising his eyebrows and pointing at Ben like he’s a kid.

“Idiot,” Ben remarks, his body pressed against Callum’s and it’s madness to think it, let alone say it. But Ben’s hand falls to Callum’s chest, just over his heart and he can _feel_ it pounding just as much as Ben’s and the words fall from his lips, “come here”, he whispers.

Callum visibly swallows, his eyes falling shut, forehead dropping and connecting to Ben’s temple. “I can’t,” Callum whispers back, hurt.

He’s still hurting. And like he just said, _I never forget_

_I don’t love you. And I don’t want your love._

Callum’s gone in a single breath.

*

Ben’s surprised to see Callum round the following Sunday. Especially when they’ve not done so much as nod or smile at each other in passing like they’re nothing more than just friendly neighbours.

He guesses it’s more for Lexi and Lola’s sake than his own.

After food Lexi asks Callum to stay to watch _Frozen_ and of course he says alright.

Lola and Jay go to The Vic, Bobby goes up to his room and Kathy drags Ian out with her, something about The Albert – only Ben doesn’t buy any of it, because his mum has never been good at being subtle. Especially when it came to trying get her son and Callum back together.

Lexi’s at the side of Callum, dropped off to sleep after the third watch of _Frozen_ and Callum should be going now.

But instead he looks sleepily up at Ben, drained, but somewhat content in this moment and he’d rather stay than have to move.

Ben chews slightly on his lip before he gestures to the empty space beside Callum, tentative after what happened last week, but Callum’s as gentle as ever, just nods.

Ben sits by him, distant enough but enough to radiate warmth and they watch _Midsummer Murders,_ Callum adamant he knows who the killer is from the get go.

Ben just smiles fondly up at him every now and again.

Ben rests his bones, let’s himself relax and feel no tension, rubbing at the back of his neck before Callum brings the blanket that’s solely over Lexi over all of them.

Ben soon after falls asleep, his head dropping onto Callum’s shoulder.

*

Sunday morning, sunrise peaking through blinds and making the bedroom a light yellow.

A warm body fits into Ben’s side. Steals some of the cover and shares some skin.

“Morning.”

“Morning,” Ben smiles back tiredly, rubbing at his eyes.

It’s the middle of summer, it’s been eight months of rebuilding and trusting. Eight months of getting Callum to forgive him, eight months of telling himself that what him and Callum have _is_ special, and _god_ , he’s just as in love.

It’s real and proper love and it’s _beautiful._

**Author's Note:**

> song title - maroon 5 - sunday morning


End file.
